Day 6 of 10: Video Post

I really enjoyed doing the video post yesterday, so I thought I would do it again.  (Less typing, ha!)

 Breakfast: Raisin Bran (i left the house without grabbing the banana, ha)

Lunch: This was my lunch minus the strawberries (yes, I am reposting last nights dinner photo, hehe)

Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Organic Green Beans, & Whole wheat roll.

See ya tomorrow, Day 7!

Whole Wheat Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese has always been one of my favorite things to not only eat, but make!  I do not like it made with onions, eggs, or with any other added ingredients accept noodles and creamy cheese sauce.  There is something so comforting about eating a plateful of homemade mac & cheese.

This time when I decided to make it, I opted for whole wheat noodles.  I also always use elbow macaroni, but this time I used shells.  Hmmm, I supposed I should have titled this "Whole Wheat Shells & Cheese". ha!  Anyway, I used as much "organic" ingredients as I could, which was only the milk.  I didn't count the calories, but, I'm sure that it could be "low cal" or "low fat" by using the appropriate ingredients.  Unfortunately the ingredients I will be listing below will not reflect that.  It is a very simple recipe that can be altered to your cheesy tasting by adding less or more.  The original recipe I followed called for 12 oz. of cheese, but I added 8oz. instead.  Also, in the past I have always microwaved the cream/cheese mix so that it would go faster and so that the milk would not burn.  But, this time I decided to try the stove to be healthier (haven't done the microwave study, but common sense tells me it may be better for us....not sure?).

Ingredients

• 8oz of uncooked macaroni (or shells)
• 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar 
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2.5 cups of milk
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Boil water and cook pasta to al dente.  Melt butter over medium heat and stir in the flour to make a roux.  Add milk to roux and continue stirring until the milk mixture thickens.  You must stand at the stovetop and stir constantly or else the milk will burn.  It may take a while for it to begin thickening, but be patient.  (This whole process is what I have typically done in the microwave in the past).  Once the cream sauce has thickened, add the shredded cheese and stir until completed melted.  Take off heat and pour cheese sauce over noodles and mix together. After the noodles and cheese have been combined, pour into an un-greased casserole dish and bake @350 for about 20-25min.  I also sprinkled parmesan cheese on top before placing in oven.

Below are photos from my cooking adventure today. :-)

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Personal Challenge: Day 3 of 10

Here I am at Day 3.  So far I have eaten and documented 9 meals, worked out 3 times and guzzled lots of water.  I feel great and I'm feeling motivated to follow through with my little challenge.

Yesterday was a very rainy and cozy day.  TJ worked on his guitar pedalboard and I blogged, made us a waffle lunch, and made some yummy Lacy Oatmeal cookies (recipe here).  For dinner we were invited over to Jamison & Mallory's house (my brother and sister in-law) along with all of the family for a spaghetti dinner.  It was amazing!  Both Mallory and Alisha are running a marathon in April, and they needed to eat a pasta dinner in preparation for their Sunday training of 18 miles!! Yikes.  I can't imagine running 18 miles, but I am so proud of them!

We ended up getting home late last night and I had still not worked out.  I so wanted to just ignore it and get in bed.  But, I decided to do sit-ups.  I did 6 different sets of 20.  Something is better than nothing...can I get an amen?! :-)

Here is a photo of Mallory & Alisha today after their 18 mile run. Thankfully it didn't rain!

Breakfast: Raisin bran, bananas, & strawberries

 Lunch: Waffles (made from Trader Joes Pancake Mix - AMAZING) & scrambled eggs 

(I forgot to take a photo before I started eating)

Dinner: Spaghetti, Salad, & garlic bread

Bon Voyage, Day 3.  Hello, Day 4!